Automatic device for opening train-line air-pipes of locomotives.



No. 646,739] Patented Apr. 3, I900.

I u. KING. AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR OPENING TRAIN LINE AIR PIPES OFLOCOMOTIVES.

(Application filed Dec. 29; 1899.)

4 SheetsSheat I.

(No Model.)

No. 646,739. Patented Apr. 3, won.

. J. N. KING. AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR OPENING TBAIN LINE AIR PIPES OFLOCOMOTIVES.

(Application filed Dec. 29, 1899.; (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

TN: uomus PEIEHS ca, Pno'ro-umov, wAsMmoYcmm a No. 646,739. PatentedApr. 3, I900.

a. N. K'ING. AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR OPENING TRAIN LINE AIR PIPES OFLOCOMOTIVES.

(Application filed Dec. 29, 1899.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

U u u u u L]. u L11 Xu M 44 7 bi W ham 1/45.

Patented Apr. 3, I900.

No. 646,739. I

' J.N.KING. v AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR OPENING TRAIN LINE AIR PIPES OFLOCOMOTIVES.

(Application filed 1395.29, 1599.)

TIFF-'IFTTITUF'ITL PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH KING, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR'OPENING TRAIN-LINE AIR-PIPES OF LOCOMOTIVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 646,739, dated April3, 1900. Application filed December 29, 1899. Serial No. 741,967. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,JOsEPH N. KING,a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Providence,in the county of Providence and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomatic Devices for- Opening the Train-Line Air-Pipes of Locomotives,of which the following is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Like numerals indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of'my invention,-

together with those parts of a locomotive which are adjacent thereto.Fig. 2 is a top plan of the compressed-air chamber of my said device andthe several pipes, valves, and rods thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view.Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the guide-cylinder and of thesupporting-rod movable therein, on which the safety-wheel is mounted,said view being on section-line (r of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevationof the invention as in Fig. 1, except that the safety-wheel and itsconnected parts are shown in their operative position and the rods forthe valves are also rep resented. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of amodified form of the device. Fig; 7 is a detail view. Fig. 8 is a topplan of the main-track and supplemental safety rail, together with themechanism for moving the latter. Fig. 9 is a detail view. Fig. 10 is anenlarged view of one of the main-track rails and of the supplementalrail, as seen on section-line z z of Fig. 8. Fig. 11 shows in sideelevation the supplemental safety-rail as seen on line to w of Fig. 8.Fig. 12 is a top plan of double main tracks,

one of which has the supplemental safety-rail,

together with means for moving the latter.

My invention is a safety device for railroads for the purpose ofautomatically stopping a railway-train when it is approaching adrawbridge, fouling-point, or place where the track is crossed byanothertrack, and for other similar purposes; and it consists in the novelconstruction and combination of the several elements hereinafterparticularly described, and

as specifically set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, 1 is the frame of a locomotive-engine, and 2 thebreast-beam thereof.

3 is the pilot, and 4 is one of the engine truck-wheels.

The steam-cylinder is shown at 5 and the steam-chest at 6.

The pilot 3 is supported by the brace 7.

The rail of the main track is designated as 8.

A branch air-pipe 9 has its forward end 10 open. 'A branch pipe 11connects the said pipe 9 with the usual train-line air-pipe 12, at theforward end of which the hose 13 is coupled. Said train-lineair-pipe12is connected, as usual, with a-reservoir. (Not shown.)

A cylindrical guide 14 is supported by braces 15 16 from the frame 1,bolted as shown. Said cylindrical guide is made in two longitudinalhalves, Fig. 4, with flanges bolted together, as shown at 17. Eachsection of said guide also has the flange 18, to which said braces 15 16are bolted. On the interior of each of said sections is a longitudinalgroove 19, Fig. 4.

A sliding rod 20, which is preferably cylindrical, has bifurcatedparallel ends 21 at the bottom thereof, in which ends is mounted an axle22, whereon a steel-pressed wheel 23, hereinafter called thesafety-wheel, is rotatably mounted. Said axle 22 has nuts 24 on itsends. The rod has integral therewith the flanges or splines 25,diametrically opposite and of a thickness to fit loosely in the grooves19 of the cylindrical guide 14. Said rod 20 also has integral therewiththe cross-head 26 of a length exceeding the diameter of the cylinder 14.The rod 20 also has a piston 27,

which fits movablyin an air-chest 28, and the.

rod 20 extends upwardly through and above said air-chest 28, as shown,but is preferably of a reduced diameter.

The air chest or chamber 28 is for compressed air and air-cushions. Itis mounted upon the'frame l and secured imposition by the braces 29,bolted, as shown, orin any'other suitable manner. It is provided withstuffing-boxes and packings at top and bottom, through which the rod 20passes. A petcock 30 opens through the bottom of the air-chest 28, andthe piston 27 has a very small groove 32 from top to bottom on one sidethereof, as seen on an enlarged scale in Fig. '7. A pipe 31 extends fromthe branch pipe 11 to the air-chest 28 and conveys compressed airthereto. Said pipe 31 is united by means of an elbow, Figs. 1 and 3, toa nozzle 31, which discharges into the air-chamber 28 at the topthereof.

In the branch air-pipe 9, near the forward end, is a valve 33, having ahandle or lever 34. The upper end of the rod 20 is beveled, as shown inFigs. 1 and 5, and lies in the position illustrated in Fig. 1 when myimproved automatic device is not in operation. hen the valve 33 andvalve-handle 34 are in the position shown in Fig. 1, said valve closesthe pipe 9 and prevents the compressed air from discharging from theopen end 10 of said pipe. In said branch pipe 9 is also a valve 35,having a handle or lever 36. A rod 37 is pivotally connected with theend of the valve-handle 34 and a rod 38 is pivotallyconnected with theend of the valve-handle 36. These rods 37 and 38 extend into the cab 39.The rod 37 has a handle 40, with a catch 41 thereon which is engageablewith a detent 42. A spring 43 normally presses said handle 40 downward.Said rod 37 also has a collar 37", secured thereon by a set-screw. Therod 38 has a handle 44 and also a fixed collar 45. The rod 38 passesthrough a tube or cylinder 46, in which is a spiral spring 47,surrounding said rod, having one end bearing against the collar 45 andthe other end bearing against the inner end of said cylinder, Fig. 5.The safety-wheel turns when in frictional moving contact with asupplemental or safety rail, (shown at 48.)

In Fig. 8 the main track is shown, consisting of the parallel rails 8 8,laid and secured, as usual, on the ties 49. These ties, as far as thesupplemental safety-rail extends, are of increasing lengths, as shown inFig. 8. Said safety-rail has two inclines, an upward and downward, thelonger incline being that on which the safety-wheel mounts when theengine is advancing and the latter, half as long as the former, beingthat on which the safetywheel runs when the engine is receding. Thesafety-rail 48 is pivotally mount-ed, as at 50, to a plate 51 on one ofthe ties. It is mounted on sliding blocks 52, to which it is fastened,Fig. 10, and said blocks are slidable on pillowblocks 53, having flanges54, and spiked to the tie 49, respectively. The outer free end of thesafety-rail 48 is partially covered and protected by the cross bar orstrap 48, which, as seen in Figs. 8, 9, and 11, prevents said end fromrising.

A switch-bar 55, pivotally mounted on a standard 56, moves a wire 57 andchain 58, (the latter passing around a pulley 59,) a wire 60, a chain61, (passing around a pulley 62,) a wire 63, and a bar 64. The bar 64extends through a standard 65, whereon is a cylinder 66, having a closedflanged inner end and an open outer end. The bar 64 has the fixedcollars 67 68 69. A spiral spring 70 surrounds the bar 64 in thecylinder 66, having one end bearing against the inner closed end of thecylinder and the other end bearing against the collar 67. On the collar68 are pivotally mounted the arms 71 and 72, the former bepiece 109.

ing pivotally connected to an earpiece 73 on the supplemental rail 48.The rail 48 also has the ear-pieces 74 and 75, to the former of which ispivoted the short bar 76, having the fixed collar 77, and to the latterof which is pivoted the short bar 78, having the fixed collar 79. Aspiral spring extends from the collar 69 of the bar 64 to the collar 77of the bar 76 and is fastened thereto at the ends, respectively, and aspiral spring 81 extends from a collar 82 of the arm 72 to the collar 79of the bar '78 and is fastened thereto at the ends, respectively. Thesprings 80 and 81 may be protected and covered by cylinders or tubes, asshown in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 12 I show another manner of moving the supplemental rail 48 inpositions where there is a double parallel track. The switch 83 ispivotally mounted on the baseplate 84 and moves a bar 85, which extendsbeneath the rails of one track to a lever 86, to which it is pivotallyconnected. This lever 86 is pivoted to a base-plate 87 and has at itsopposite end a pivoted link 88. The lever 89, mounted on a base-plate90, is pivotally connected at one end with the link 88 and at the otherend with an earpiece 91, attached to the rail 48. Springs 92 normallycrowd the safety-rail 48 to parallel with the main track whenever theswitch 83 is unlatched.

In Fig. 6 I show a modified form of my device in which thecompressed-air chamber 28 is dispensed with and spiral springs 93 94,surrounding the rod 20, are used instead. These springs are contained incylinders 95 96, as shown, supported by braces 97 or in any othersuitable manner. The spring 93 serves to limit and soften the upwardmovement of the rod 20 and the spring 94 to soften the downward movementof said rod. As said downward movement is due to gravity the spring 94is comparatively light.

In Fig. 5 the said box 98 is shown upon the boiler 9 9, as usual, havingits sand-valve 100, operated by the rod 101 and handle 102. On thevalverod 101 is a collar 103, secured thereon by a set-screw 104 andprovided with an earpiece 105, to the latter of which a linkrod 106 ispivotally connected. On the valverod 37 is a similar collar 107, securedthereon by a set-screw 108 and provided with an car- A chain 110 extendsfrom an eye or terminal loop 111 at the end of the linkrod 106 to theearpiece 109 of the rod 37, as shown in said figure. The sand-pipe 112extends, as usual, from the sand-box 98 to a pointjust in advance of thedriving-wheel113.

Having thus described the several parts of the invention, I will nowproceed to explain its operation.

The supplemental safety-rail 48 is normally in the position indicated bythe full lines in Fig. 8, extending at an acute angle with the rail 8 ofthe main track and outside thereof. When the towerman or otherswitch-tender knows that a train is in danger of crossing or approachinga fouling-point, he first operates the switch to make eifectivemyimproved safety device, by which the engine and train areautomatically stopped before reaching the point of danger, and then alsosets the usual cautionary signals to notify the engineer of theapproaching train to stop before reaching the fouling-point. If,however, the engineer does not see or disregards such cautionarysignals, the said automatic device nevertheless operates and applies thebrakes. The safety-rail is moved from the position shown in full linesin Fig. 8 to the position shown in dotted lines in said figure. When inthe latter position, said safety-rail is parallel with the rail 8 of themain track, outside thereof, and adapted to operate the safety devicewhich is upon the locomotive. This rail 48 is an inclined elevated rail,as seen in Figs. 5 and 11. The safety-wheel 23, which usually is at aheight of a few inches above the plane of the top surfaces of the rails8 8' of the main track, soon comes in contact with the safety-rail 48 asthe engine advances and mounts the same. The result of the running ofthe wheel 23 upon the rail 48 is to move the rod upward, the splines 25of which, engageable in the grooves 19 of the cylindrical guide 14,confining said rod 20 to a direct vertical linear travel. The airchamber28 is filled with compressed air through the pipe 31 from the train-lineairpipes 12 11 9, and as the upward movement of the rod 20 carries thepiston 27 up into the air-chamber 28 an air-cushion is formed in theupper portion of said chamber, as the opening of the nozzle 31, Fig. 3,is so small and the upward movement of the piston 27 so rapid that theair cannot be forced in undesirable quantity by said movement into thetrain-pipe, but is compelled to cushion in the upper portion of thechamber. An ordinary safety-valve may be attached to the upper end ofthe air-chamber 28, if necessary, to still further relieve theair-chamber of augmented pressure, when the safety-wheel 23 mounts theinclined rail 48. The said upward movement of the rod 20 presses itsbeveled upper end against the handle 34 of the valve 33, moving saidhandle from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig.5. When the handle 34 is in its usual position, as seen in Fig. 1, thevalve 33,whic h it operates, is closed; but when the said handle is inthe position seen in Fig. 5 the valve is open. Whenever the valve 33 isopen, the compressed air in the air-pipe 9 rushes out of the open end 10of the pipe 9, and this results in operating the air-brakes of theengine and cars in the usual and well-known manner and stops the train.At the same time the movement of the rod 37 causes said rod 37 to pullthe chain 110, and thereby the rods 106 and 101 are drawn and thesand-valve 100 is opened, thus discharging sand through the sand-pipe112 in front of the driving-wheels 113. The movement of. the handle 34just in the upper portion of said chamber.

described pushes the rod 37 into the position illustrated in Fig. 5,where it is'seen that the catch 41 of the handle 40 of said rod is en-.gaged with the detent 42 in the cab 39, being forced and held in thatposition by the spring 43. The collar 37 on the valve-rod 37 limits themovement of said rod. The train cannot now advance because theair-brakes hold it. The engineer must 'close the valve 33 by operatingthe rod 37 and unlatching the catch 41 from the detent 42 in the. cab39.

In order to prevent unnecessary stopping when moving away from thefouling-point or during switching operations, the engineer seizes thehandle 44, and thereby draws the rod 38, which operates the valve 35 inthe airpipe 9. When the handle 36 of said valve 35 is in the positionshown in Figs. 1 and 5, it is open, and it is normally held in this openposition by the force of the spring 47, which surrounds the rod 38 inthe cylinder 46; but when the rod 38 is drawn by the handle 44 thecollar 45 on said rod compresses the spring 47 and the handle 36 of thevalve 35 is brought to a vertical position and so remains as long as theengineer pulls the handle 44. During the time of such pull the valve 35is closed, so that the air cannot escape from the open end 10 of thebranch pipe 9, whereupon the air-brakes cease to operate on the wheelsof the engine and cars and the train is free to move. As soon as theengine has moved far enough to allow the safety-wheel 23 to run down thesafety-rail 48 said wheel by gravity resumes its original position, theextent of its descent, however, being limited by means of Y thecross-head 26, which, as soon as it comes in contact with the top of thecylindrical guide 14, prevents the rod 20, to which it is connected,(and consequently the wheel23,which is supported by said rod,) fromfurther downward movement. During all this time, how'- ever, the valve33 has remained open and its handle 34 has been vertical, because therod 37,pivoted thereto and which has been pushed toward the cab, is heldin that position by the spring 43, catch 41, and detent 42. It istherefore now necessary to close said valve 33 in the air-pipe 9, whichis done by unlatching the catch 41 of the handle 40 of the rod 37 fromthe detent 42 in the cab and moving said rod 37 forward. Whenever theengineer releases his hold upon the handle 44 of 'the rod 38, said rod38 automatically opens the valve 35 in the pipe 9 by force of the spring'47. When the piston 27 is carried up in the chamber 28 by the upwardtravel of the rod 20, as already described, an air-cushion is formed Assoon, however, as the piston 27 has reached the upward limit of itsmovement in said chamber a portion of the compressed air in the chamberabove the piston passes down through the groove in the edge of thepiston to the bottom of the chamber beneath the piston, and said airforms another air-cushion in the bottom of the chamber when the pistondescends. Said air beneath the piston afterward escapes through thepetcock 30. The

.purpose of these air-cushions is to soften the stroke of the piston inthe chamber at the end of its upward or downward movement. When in itslowest position, the piston 27 serves as a valve to close the inneropening of the petcock 30.

In the modified form of my device shown in Fig. (3 the coiled springsserve the same function as do the air-cushions.

hen there is no danger, the switch-tender or towerman by moving theswitch 55 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 8 draws thebar 64, thereby compressing the spring 70 and moving the safety-rail 48to the position shown in full lines in said figure.

The springs 80 and 81 are compensating springs, allowing the onemovement of the bar 64 to pull the arms 71 76 78 sufficiently to movethe rail 48 to the angular position shown. As said arms have differentlengths and angles of movement, the springs 80 and 81 equalize theiraction.

By unfastening the switch 55 the spring in expanding forces the rail 48into its operative parallel position. (Indicated by dotted lines in Fig.8.)

The pillow-blocks 53 are of varying heights on account of the incline ofthe rail &8; but their upper surfaces are below the plane of the topsurfaces of the rails of the main track.

In Fig. 12, there being shown a parallel track, it would not be possibleto use the mechanism for moving the supplemental rail illustrated inFig. 8. In such case the lever system appearing in Fig. 12 is useful.The springs 92 when free to act move the rail into the positionindicated in said figure in full lines whenever the switch 83 isunfastened, and when the switch 83 is in the position shown in saidfigure the springs 92 are relaxed.

I claim as a novel and useful invention and desire to secure by LettersPatent- 1. The combination with a railroad-track and avertically-inclined safety-rail, of a locomotive-engine, provided withwheels movable on said track and with air-brakes for said wheels and atrain-line air-pipe in connection with said brakes and having a branchpipe with its forward end open, a vertical rod havingdiametrically-arranged longitudinal flanges, a guide properly supportedand having grooves or ways in which said flanges are mounted andmovable, a cross-head on said rod adapted by its contact with the uppersurface of said guide to limit the downward movement of said rod, avertical safety-wheel rotatably mounted on the lower end of said rodabove the safety-rail, a valve in said airpipe, a handle adapted to movesaid valve and placed over and in contact with the upper end of said rodso as to be movable thereby, a rod pivotally connected at one end withthe outer end of said valve-handle and having at its other end a handleand a catch and detent on a suitable support, on which detent said catchis engageable, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination with a railroad-track and a vertically-inclinedsafety-rail, of a locomotive-engine, provided with wheels movable onsaid track and air-brakes for said wheels and a train-line air-pipe inconnection with said brakes and having a branch pipe with its forwardend open, a vertical rod having diametrically-arranged longitudinalflanges, a guide properly supported and having grooves or ways in whichsaid flanges are mounted and movable,'a cross-head on said rod adaptedby its contact with the upper surface of said guide to limit thedownward movement of said rod, a vertical safety-wheel rotatably mountedon the lower end of said rod above the safety rail, an air-chamberproperly supported, through the center of which said rod is verticallymovable, a branch pipe leading from said air-pipe into the top of saidchamber, a piston on said rod movable within said chamber and fittingthe same, a valve in the pipe first aforesaid and a handle adapted tomove said valve and placed over and in contact with the upper end ofsaid rod so as to be movable thereby, substantially as shown.

3. The combination with a railroad-track and a vertically-inclinedsafety-rail, of a locomotive-engine, provided with wheels movable onsaid track and air-brakes for said wheels and a train-line air-pipe inconnection with said brakes and having a branch pipe with its forwardend open, a vertical rod having diametrically-arranged longitudinalflanges, a guide properly supported and having grooves or ways in whichsaid flanges are mounted and movable, a cross-head on said rod andadapted by its contact with the upper surface of said guide to limit thedownward movement of said rod, a vertical safety-wheel rotatably mountedon the lower end of said rod above the safety-rail, an air-chamberproperly supported, through the center of which said rod is verticallymovable, a petcock opening from the bottom of said chamber, a branchpipe leading from said air-pipe into the top of said chamber, a pistonhaving a vertical groove in its edge and mounted on said rod and movablein said chamber and fitting the same, a valve in the pipe firstaforesaid and a handle adapted to move said valve and placed over and incontact with the upper end of said rod so as to be movable thereby,substantially as specified.

4. The combination with a railroad-track and a vertically-inclinedsafety-rail, of a locomotive-engine, provided with wheels movable onsaid track and with air-brakes for said Wheels and a train-line air-pipein connection with said brakes and having a branch pipe with its forwardend open, a vertical rod having diametrically-arranged longitudinalflanges, a guide properly supported and having grooves or ways in whichsaid flanges are mounted and movable, a cross-head on said rod adaptedby its contact with the upper surface of said guide to limit thedownward movement of said rod, a vertical safety-wheel rotatably mountedon the lower end of said rod above the safety-rail, a valve in saidpipe, a handle adapted to move said valve, a valverod pivotallyconnected at one end with the outer end of said handle, a handle on theopposite end of said valve-rod, a collar on said valve-rod, a spiralspring surrounding said valve-rod, having a fixed bearing at one endthereof and a hearing at its opposite end on said collar, another valvein said air-pipe between the last-named valve and the open end of saidpipe, a handle adapted to move said second valve and placed over andin'contact with the upper end of the first-named rod so as to be movablethereby, a valve-rod pivotally connected at one end to the outer end ofthe last-mentioned valve-handle, a handle on the ppposite end of saidsecond valve-rod, a catch on the handle of said second valve-rod and adetent upon a fixed support, with which detent said catch is engageable,substantially as described.

5. The combination with a railroad-track and a vertically-inclinedsafety-rai1,of a locomotive-engine, provided with wheels movable on saidtrack and air-brakes for said wheels and a train-line air-pipe inconnection with said brakes and having-a branch pipe with its forwardend open, a rod vertically movablein guides upon said locomotive, avertical safety-wheel rotatably mounted on the lower end of said rodabove the safetyrail, a valve in said air-pipe, a handle adapted to movesaid valve and placed over and in contact with the upper end of said rodso as to be movable thereby, a valve-rod pivotally connected at one endwith the outer end of said valve-handle and its other end entering intothe locomotive-cab, a sand-box mounted upon the locomotive and having asand-valve and a sand-discharge pipe, a rod extending from thesand-valve into the cab, a link-rod pivotally connected with thesand-valve rod and a chain from said link-rod to the valverod firstaforesaid, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a railroad-track and a vertically-inclinedsafety-rail, of a lo comotive provided with wheels movable on saidtrack, a rod vertically movable inguides upon the locomotive, a verticalsafety-Wheel rotatably mounted on the lower end of said rod above thesafety-rail, a pivotally-mounted lever-arm placed over and in contactwith the upper end of said rod and movable thereby, a sand-box upon thelocomotive having a sand-valve and a sand-discharge pipe, a sand-"alverod extending into the locomotive-cab, a rod pivotally connected withthe outer end of said lever-arm and a flexible connection between thelast-named rod and the sand-valve rod, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH N. KING.

Witnesses:

WARREN R. PERCE, HOWARD A. LAMPREY.

